【BBC紀(jì)錄片】月球之謎 第十期

But a little known Apollo project

但是一個(gè)鮮為人知的阿波羅計(jì)劃

has blown that cosy theory away.

卻粉碎了這個(gè)看似無(wú)懈可擊的理論

Deep in the wilds of West Texas,

在西德州的荒野中

Jerry Wiant coaxes his elderly motorbike up

杰瑞懷恩特騎著老爺車(chē)

to the top of the Davies Mountains.

飆上大衛(wèi)斯山脈的山頂

He and his trusty bike have made this same journey

從阿波羅計(jì)劃開(kāi)始后

to work every night since the Apollo programme.

他每晚都騎這段路上班

He is on his way to the Texas Laser Ranging station.

他在德州雷射測(cè)距站工作

This small outpost is one of only three of its kind in the world.

這個(gè)小小的前哨站是全球三座雷射測(cè)距站之一

We're the last living Apollo project.

我們是阿波羅計(jì)劃碩果僅存的部分

Many people think that Apollo project, oh,

很多人都以為阿波羅計(jì)劃

they, they're dead and gone.

已經(jīng)壽終正寢

That's not true.

其實(shí)不是這樣

We're still getting viable data,

我們?nèi)猿掷m(xù)取得重要數(shù)據(jù)

scientists all over the earth are still using that data,

世界各地的科學(xué)家，也都還在使用我們的數(shù)據(jù)

so we're still operating,

雖然已經(jīng)沒(méi)有人記得

in spite of the fact that everybody's forgotten

阿波羅計(jì)劃是干嘛的

what the word Apollo er used to mean.

我們卻還在運(yùn)作

Each clear night Wiant focuses his telescope on the lunar surface

每逢夜空晴朗時(shí)懷恩特就會(huì)將望遠(yuǎn)鏡對(duì)準(zhǔn)月球表面

and fires a powerful laser straight at the moon.

并發(fā)射一道強(qiáng)力雷射光

This will measure the exact position of the moon in space.

他用這種方法測(cè)量月球在太空中的確切位置

Alright we're ready to fire the laser.

我們要發(fā)射雷射光了

So what we hope is that our beam goes from here to the moon surface

我們希望發(fā)出的雷射光束抵達(dá)月球表面后

and it comes back and er our goal is to measure

再反射回來(lái)，我們要測(cè)量的是

how long does it take for our light to go

雷射光往返月球

from here to the moon and back.

所需的時(shí)間

Their target is a simple device placed on the moon over 35 years ago.

他們的目標(biāo)是35年前被放在月球上的簡(jiǎn)單裝置

The Apollo astronauts left behind some simple glass reflectors,

阿波羅太空人在月球上放了一些構(gòu)造簡(jiǎn)單的玻璃反射器

rather likethe reflectors on a bicycle light.

有點(diǎn)像自行車(chē)燈用的反射器

This is a chunk of glass,

這塊玻璃

that's a corner reflector and you can see it's,

是個(gè)角形反射器

it's, it's 3 sides, and this'll be the front side.

它有三個(gè)面，這是正面

So light entering here will go directly

若由正面進(jìn)入的光線

back to it's source and then our,

會(huì)直接反射回其源頭

our telescope gathers that light and then er feeds it to our detector.

我們的望遠(yuǎn)鏡會(huì)收集這些光線，并輸入我們的偵測(cè)器

There are 4 panels of reflectors

月球上有四個(gè)

on the moon placed at 4 different sites.

分置于不同地點(diǎn)的反射板

This one I'm holding in my hand is, is one.

這就是其中之一

And, you can, you can see there's a row of ten by ten.

這是一個(gè)十乘十的反射板

This is a panel of 100 of these inpidual corners,

也就是上面裝了一百個(gè)角形反射器

look at the footprint, you can see the,

你們看這些腳印

the astronaut's footprint in the moon's surface here.

這是太空人留在月球表面的腳印

This is Apollo 14 site.

這是阿波羅14號(hào)的

The second site.

第二個(gè)作業(yè)點(diǎn)

And if, and if you, I don't know if you, you can see it,

我不曉得各位看不看得到

but there's a, there's a,a er, a bag, a ziplock,

但這邊有個(gè)夾鏈袋

there's a ziplock bag right here, you can see the red seam.

你們可以看到紅色的封口處

Er, the astronauts were not

當(dāng)時(shí)并沒(méi)有要太空人

required to er pick up their litter.

撿垃圾的規(guī)定

So there's a free ziplock bag if anybody would like to have it.

如果想要拿免費(fèi)的夾鏈袋，倒是可以參考一下

If the moon's orbit was fixed,

若月球軌道是固定的

then its distance from the earth should have stayed

那么自杰瑞展開(kāi)測(cè)量作業(yè)之后

the same ever since Gerry began his measurements.

兩者間的距離應(yīng)該沒(méi)有改變

But it hasn't.

但事實(shí)不然

The moon, it seems, is on the move.

看來(lái)月球正在移動(dòng)

The moon is receding at a certain rate per year.

月球正在逐年退后

3.8 cms per year I believe that it's,

它正以每年3.8公分的速率

it's moving out, moving away, receding.

向外移動(dòng)

It doesn't sound like much.

聽(tīng)起來(lái)沒(méi)什么大不了

But over time it's going to bring some big changes.

但長(zhǎng)時(shí)間下來(lái)會(huì)造成重大改變